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Word

English Vocabulary

Pick a CEFR level (A1–C2, plus C2+ for rare words beyond the CEFR scale) — A1 is the friendliest place to start — and browse its words grouped by topic: travel, food, the body, emotions, and more. Each word shows its meaning, example sentences, and US/UK pronunciation.

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C2+ is beyond the official CEFR scale: rare, specialist, and literary words kept for reference.

155 words

The Human Body

155 words

/kənˈtɔr.ʃən/ a twisted, strained, or unnatural position or movement of the body or face Meaning Off Sound Off

diverticulum C2

/ˌdaɪvɚˈtɪkjələm/ a pouch, sac, or blind branch projecting from the wall of a hollow or tubular organ Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈplɛnəm/ a meeting attended by all members of a committee, legislature, or other body Meaning Off Sound Off

sternocleidomastoid C2

/ˌstɝ.nəˌklaɪ.dəˈmæˌstɔɪd/ one of two thick muscles running from the sternum and clavicle to the mastoid and occipital bone Meaning Off Sound Off

/lɪˈveɪtɚ/ an anatomical muscle that raises the body part to which it is attached Meaning Off Sound Off

/ləˈkjuːnə/ a gap, omission, or missing part in a text, argument, record, or body of knowledge Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈsaɪtəs/ The position, especially the usual, normal position, of a body part or part of a plant. Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈtɛtɚ/ archaic: any of various itching, scaly, blistering, or pustular skin eruptions, without the precision of a modern diagnosis Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˌhem.ɪˈpli.dʒə/ paralysis of one side of the body Meaning Off Sound Off

scintillation C2

/ˌsɪn.təˈleɪ.ʃən/ The twinkling of a star or other celestial body caused by turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere. Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈkwɑɡə/ an extinct southern African subspecies of plains zebra, striped mainly on the head and front of the body Meaning Off Sound Off

/əˈpɑːr/ a South American three-banded armadillo of the genus Tolypeutes, able to roll its armored body into a nearly complete ball Meaning Off Sound Off

/oʊvɪˈpɑzɪtɚ/ a tubular or blade-like organ used by a female insect or certain other animals to place or lay eggs Meaning Off Sound Off

/zaɪˈɡoʊmə/ anatomy: either zygomatic bone, forming the prominence of the cheek below and beside the eye Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈbaɪvælv/ a mollusc of the class Bivalvia whose body is enclosed by two hinged shell valves, such as a clam, mussel, oyster, or scallop Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈpoʊəzi/ literary: poetry, especially considered as an art or body of writing Meaning Off Sound Off

/ɔɹˌbɪk.jəˈlɛɹ.ɪs/ A muscle surrounding an opening. Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈkɔɹnuː/ a horn-shaped anatomical part, such as a projection of a bone, organ, or region of the spinal cord Meaning Off Sound Off

/daɪəˈpeɪzən/ a full, rich outpouring or range of musical sound; also a principal organ stop Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈæl.bɪ.nɪ.zəm/ a group of inherited conditions involving little or no production of melanin pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes Meaning Off Sound Off

/sɪr/ the fleshy or waxy skin at the base of the upper beak in certain birds, containing the nostrils Meaning Off Sound Off

/skɝːf/ flakes or scales shed from the surface of the skin, especially as dandruff or because of disease Meaning Off Sound Off

/təˈpiː.təm/ a reflective or pigmented layer of tissue behind or within the retina of the eye Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈæmfɪˌpɑːd/ any small crustacean of the order Amphipoda, typically with a laterally compressed body and differently directed pairs of legs Meaning Off Sound Off

/pəˈpɪlə/ a small nipple-shaped projection of tissue, such as one on the tongue or at the base of a hair, tooth, or feather Meaning Off Sound Off

/əˈfiːliən/ the point in the orbit of a planet, comet, or other body at which it is farthest from the Sun Meaning Off Sound Off

gesticulation C2

/dʒɛˌstɪkjəˈleɪʃən/ an expressive movement of the hands, arms, or body, especially one made while speaking Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˌtuːbəˈrɑːsəti/ anatomy: a large, rough, rounded prominence on a bone, commonly serving as an attachment site for a muscle, tendon, or ligament Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈθæləs/ a plantlike vegetative body, such as that of an alga, fungus, or lichen, which is not differentiated into true stems, leaves, and roots Meaning Off Sound Off

/ɪkˈskrɛsəns/ an abnormal growth or projection on a living body or natural object Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˌzaɪ.ɡəˈmæt.ək.əs/ One of several small subcutaneous facial muscles arising from or in relation with the zygomatic bone. Meaning Off Sound Off

auscultation C2

/ˌɔːskəlˈteɪʃən/ medical examination by listening to sounds within the body, usually with a stethoscope Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˌfɹʌnˈteɪ.lɪs/ A muscle of the forehead, sometimes considered to be part of the occipitofrontalis muscle. Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈvɪskəs/ anatomy: an internal organ located in one of the body's major cavities Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈtoʊnəs/ the normal continuous tension or readiness of living muscles, arteries, or other tissue Meaning Off Sound Off

/mænˈdeɪməs/ law: a court order compelling a public official, lower court, agency, or other body to perform a duty required by law Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈkɑm.əˌʃʊɹ/ a bundle of nerve fibers passing from one side to the other of the brain or spinal cord Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈtʃɪlbleɪn/ an itchy, swollen patch of skin caused by an abnormal reaction to cold and damp conditions Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈkɑːksə/ the basal segment of an arthropod limb, by which the leg is attached to the body Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈθɔːrnˌbæk/ the thornback ray or skate, Raja clavata, a ray with rough skin and rows of thornlike spines along its back and tail Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈfriːnəm/ an anatomical fold of tissue that restrains or anchors the movement of an organ; a frenulum Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈberəwiː/ a transparent, often iridescent marine comb jelly of the genus Beroe, with a rounded or thimble-shaped body Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈɹædʒələ/ a ribbonlike feeding organ bearing rows of tiny teeth, used by most mollusks to scrape or cut food Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈbræŋkiə/ zoology: a gill or another respiratory organ with the same function in an aquatic animal Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈsɪkəˌtrɪks/ a scar formed as fibrous tissue replaces or contracts over a healed wound Meaning Off Sound Off

/əˈsɪdiən/ a solitary or colonial marine tunicate of the class Ascidiacea, typically having a saclike adult body with an incurrent and an excurrent siphon Meaning Off Sound Off

/səˈfjuːʒən/ the spreading of a bodily fluid, especially blood, into surrounding tissue Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˌæn.tɪˈhi.lɪks/ anatomy: the curved ridge of cartilage inside and roughly parallel to the helix of the outer ear Meaning Off Sound Off

/fəˈsɪkjʊləs/ anatomy: a small bundle of nerve, muscle, tendon, or other parallel fibers Meaning Off Sound Off

/ɪɡˈzænθəm/ a widespread skin eruption or rash occurring as a symptom of disease Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈfɝkjələ/ the forked bone formed by the fused collarbones of most birds; the wishbone Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈpɛlɪkəl/ a very thin skin, membrane, or film covering a surface Meaning Off Sound Off

/pəˈnɪkjələs/ a thin sheet or layer of bodily tissue, especially a layer beneath the skin Meaning Off Sound Off

stridulation C2

/ˌstrɪdʒəˈleɪʃən/ the production of a shrill sound by rubbing body parts together, especially in insects Meaning Off Sound Off

/ɪɡˈzuːviə/ a skin, shell, exoskeleton, or other outer covering shed by an animal during molting Meaning Off Sound Off

/ˈhɑːməlɑːɡ/ a biological structure, organ, gene, or other feature that shares a common evolutionary origin with a corresponding feature Meaning Off Sound Off

cephalothorax C2

/ˌsɛfələˈθɔˌræks/ the fused head and thorax forming the front body region of spiders, crustaceans, and some other arthropods Meaning Off Sound Off

/ɪnˈsɪʒɚ/ anatomy: a notch or indentation in a bone, organ, or other bodily structure Meaning Off Sound Off

/əˈrɛktər/ an erector muscle; especially one of the tiny arrector pili muscles that raise a hair Meaning Off Sound Off